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Driver takes to his bike to chase after runaway tramPrague Tram.JPG

Driver takes to his bike to chase after runaway tram

Driverless vehicle eventually halted by cutting off the power
by Simon_MacMichael
Wed, Jun 16, 2010 22:00
2

In what sounds like a scene from a Buster Keaton film, a runaway tram in Prague was pursued through the Czech capital’s streets by its driver on a bicycle as he tried to stop it before it reached the city centre.

The tram, which had no passengers on board, started its driverless journey at a depot in the Motol district where – presumably in grainy black and white footage with a dramatic piano accompaniment – it burst through the gates and rolled along the tracks, chased by its driver on his bike.

Eventually – cue black card showing a light bulb and the word “Idea!” – some bright spark at the depot thought of switching the electricity off, but not before the tram had travelled a mile along a busy road towards the city centre and the driver had suffered light injuries trying to get into the cab.

A spokesman for the Rail Safety Inspectorate told Associated Press that the incident was most likely due to human error.

 

Prague
tram
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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2 comments

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step.doran | 14 years ago
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Comment spam is weird these days... 22

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JurisA | 14 years ago
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This is hilarious, they could have been very careful with that,with or without passengers. Rail Safety Inspectorate would be responsible whatever happens regardless if the incident was likely to be a human error or not. There is much discussion on what is best for engine and vehicle in general when it comes to fuel. The debate is still not resolved. The biggest part of the debate is how high you should fill up your gas tank. The three most common ways to fill your tank are midway, all the way, or letting it run dry. All of these have their advantages, and flaws that could result in you getting a payday loan to correct damage if done incorrect. Your gasoline tank has a filter that is required to create fumes, and when you top off you can flood it and have to replace it. If you let your motor run entirely dry you can fry your whole engine, but allowing it to run extremely low also can clear out the gunk that settles on the bottom of your gas tank with time. Lastly half fuel will really only conserve you a few gallons of gas in the whole entire year, but may help you stay safe from damages.

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